A model of net radiation over suburban snowpacks

Abstract

Fieldwork by Xu and Buttle ( Proc. East. Snow Conf. 43, 173–184, 1987) has identified enhanced net radiation around homes as a contributing factor to the increased snowmelt rates observed in suburban environments relative to rural areas. A simple steady-state building climatology model was developed and linked to a ripe snowpack model to examine the effect of suburban homes on the net radiation balance over the sorrounding snowpacks. An error estimation of simulated hourly net radiation was determined by comparing model-predicted and observed net radiation at two suburban homes in Peterborough, Ontario, during a snowmelt period in March 1985. Results demonstrate that the model effectively simulates the complex mean hourly daytime net radiation inputs over ripe suburban snowpacks under all-sky conditions.